Motors are used in a large variety of applications. In many applications, a motor is connected to a motor controller that performs a particular function for managing the operations of the motor. For example, motors in aircraft are used to drive control surfaces, environmental systems, and many other systems. These motors typically each receive electrical power from a dedicated motor controller connected in-line between the motor and a power source. The motor controller may include any combination of rectifiers, inverters, and filters that condition the electrical signal received from the power source for use by the motor.
In aircraft and other vehicle platforms, there is typically one dedicated motor controller installed within the vehicle for every motor. Each motor controller is sized according to the peak power load demand of the motor that is serviced by the motor controller. For example, a 100 kilowatt (kW) motor would require a 100 kW motor controller, which is a motor controller that is capable of conditioning and providing 100 kW to the motor.
Motor controllers can be relatively heavy equipment. Various components of the motor controllers, such as input and output filters, significantly increase the overall weight of each controller. Because the weight of the motor controllers is substantially proportional to the power rating of the controller, the higher the power rating of the motor controller, the heavier the motor controller will be.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.